Methanol fuel cells for recharging the batteries of standard laptops and mobile phones will start rolling of Toshiba's Yokohama production line in May.

Although initial prices will be somewhere between ¥10,000 (£68) and ¥50,000 (£340), the company says it will cut that substantially when output peaks.

Best to come

Better yet, Toshiba says it will be able to start building PCs and phones with fuel cells built in before the end of this year, which means users will simply need to carry a small bottle of methanol for days-long running times.